Bradley raises the race issue

Explosive stuff: Milton Bradley went off on Billy Beane in an Alameda Newspaper Group article today. And he’s put the question of the A’s relations with black players, raised at the time of his departure, front and center.

“Just look at it, you tell me,” he said. “It’s a mighty coincidence that every black guy who’s been there the last three years — you can go back to Jermaine Dye, Terrence Long, (Chris) Singleton — is gone. When I was with Cleveland, I’d ask guys, ‘How do you like it here?’ and they’d say, ‘We can’t get in a game over here, we can’t stand it over here.’ Then I got there, and I said, ‘Man, I don’t see any of that.’ Then 2007 rolled around, and I started seeing it.”

Then there’s the part about Beane and Geren wanting first base coach Ty Waller, who is black, in the room during meetings with Bradley. “Were they afraid of me? Were they afraid I was going to start a fight? I’ve never fought anybody in my life.”

And then he suggests that the reason Shannon Stewart isn’t playing every day is … well, you know.

Yes, Bradley is a hothead who is showing his bitterness at being cast aside, and the reporter was probably hoping for a response like that when he asked the question. Still, after Beane gets done with another round of angry denials, he would be wise to take some steps to address the concerns.